The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

4/5 Stars

If I am being honest I was not expecting to enjoy this novel, but Tom Ripley is one of the most complex characters I've ever read about.

The novel centers around Tom Ripley, a young, charming sociopath who is convinced that he is entitled to more than the world has to offer. He encounters a powerful, wealthy businessman named, Herbert Greenleaf, as he asks Tom to travel to Italy to convince his son to return to America.

Things do not at all go as planned.

Tom arrives in Italy and instantly inserts himself in Dickies orbit. Dickie is a young, rich playboy who simply throws money around because he has a lot of it and it is because of this that Tom finds Dickie unequivocally charming and intriguing. Tom finds Dickie on the beach, lounging with his good friend, Marge Sherwood, who is quietly in love with him.

The way that Tom Ripley can change himself into whoever he needs to be to get by in a way that is sis sly is exactly what makes this novel so addictive. Although Highsmith writes in the third person, we only have access to Tom's internal thoughts and the plot runs on his utterly complex personality. Despite the fact that he is a psycho/sociopath, I was on his side the entire time. It's obviously something I am not proud to admit given the acts that he performs throughout the novel. He is somehow the anti-hero in this tale and Highsmith's grand enchantment throughout this book was getting me to care so passionately about a character who doesn't care for anyone else at all.